RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team claimed the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 4-1 win over Sweden on Saturday afternoon, the 23rd summer U18 gold medal since 1991.

Tanner Howe (Prince Albert, Sask./Regina, WHL), Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) and Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./Moose Jaw, WHL) provided the offence for Canada, which never trailed in any of its five games.

“Three weeks ago, we put this roster together and I felt right away this was a tight group,” said head coach Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL). “It’s not easy when you have this much talent, but everyone accepted their role and I’m so happy for them.”

Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta./Seattle, WHL) made 25 saves; the goaltender finished with a tournament-leading four victories and a .962 save percentage. Canada’s goalies allowed only three goals in a tournament.

On top of the defensive performance, Canada finished with four of the top five scorers - Ritchie led with 10 points (4-6—10), followed by Yager (5-4—9), Gauthier (6-1—7) and Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./Winnipeg, WHL) (2-5—7). Gauthier’s first-period goal gave him six on the week tied with Sweden’s Otto Stenberg for the tournament lead.

“This is an unbelievable group of guys,” said Gauthier. “We came to play today, and all week long. We had one goal all along and that was to win, and this feels amazing. The atmosphere was amazing, these fans, this country … this was a great experience.”

The win is Canada’s first gold medal since 2018, the last time this tournament was held in Canada.

“I’m so happy for this group,” added Julien. “They haven’t had it easy in their careers the last two years with the pandemic, but now they have this, a gold medal and something they are going to remember for the rest of their career.”

In the bronze medal game, Finland defeated Czechia 3-1 to earn its third bronze and first medal since 2012.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will shift to Europe in 2023, returning to Breclav and Piestany, Czechia for the first time since 2021.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME STATS

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has won its way to the gold medal game at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, facing off with Sweden in a rematch of the 2018 final with a chance to claim its 23rd summer U18 gold.

LAST GAME

Canada skated to a 4-1 victory over Finland in its semifinal on the back of a 23-save performance from Scott Ratzlaff, who has allowed just a single goal on 59 shots through his three starts. After a slow start, Ethan Gauthier danced around the Finnish defence and went upstairs on the backhand to get the Canadians going. Calum Ritchie made it 2-0 with his tournament-leading ninth point, banking in a shot off the end boards, and Matthew Wood and Denver Barkey scored 19 seconds apart in the third period to send Canada through to the final.

The Swedes held off a spirited push from Czechia in their semifinal, scoring three times in the final 3:16 to pull away for a 6-2 win. Otto Stenberg scored twice, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka and David Edstrom added a pair of assists each for Sweden, which finished with a 39-30 advantage in shots on goal.

LAST MEETING

Canada capped a perfect preliminary round against the Swedes on Wednesday night, coming away with a 3-0 win. Ratzlaff secured his second shutout of the tournament, turning away all 18 shots he faced, while Brayden Yager and Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist each.

WHAT TO WATCH

While Canada has impressed offensively, its blue-liners have made scoring opportunities few and far between for opposing teams. The Canadians have allowed only 79 shots in four games (an average of 19.75 per contest), with the 24 shots Finland managed in the semifinal the most Canada has given up. Captain Cameron Allen has anchored the penalty-killing crew, which has not allowed a goal in 20 man-advantages against.

The Swedes need to have a short memory. They were stymied in their prelim matchup with the Canadians, managing just 18 shots on goal and going goalless on four power plays. Stenberg has been the offensive catalyst for the Scandinavians; his eight points are tied for second in tournament scoring, even with Yager and one back of Ritchie, and his five goals leave him level with Gauthier for the tournament lead.

A LOOK BACK

Canada and Sweden have met 21 times in summer U18 play since 2001, including three gold medal games—all of them wins for the Canadians. Brendan Gaunce had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory in 2011, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice in a four-goal first period in a 7-3 win in 2015, and Alexis Lafrenière and Sasha Mutala scored two goals apiece in a 6-2 home-ice triumph in Edmonton in 2018.

All-time record: Canada leads 18-3-0 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 89
Sweden goals: 43

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team booked its ticket to the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal game with a 4-1 semifinal win over Finland on Friday night.

• Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que. / Sherbrooke, QMJHL) scored his tournament-leading fifth goal.
• Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont. / Oshawa, OHL) scored his third goal and recorded his tournament-leading ninth point.
• Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C. / Victoria, BCHL) and Denver Barkey (Newmarket, Ont. / London, OHL) rounded out the scoring for Canada.
• Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask / Kelowna, WHL), Carson Rehkopf (Utopia, Ont. / Kitchener, OHL), Saige Weinstein (Edmonton, Alta. / Spokane, WHL) and Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C. / Kelowna, WHL) contributed with assists.
• Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta./ Seattle, WHL) made 23 saves for his third victory of the tournament.
• 13 of 20 skaters recorded at least one point for Canada.
• Canada finished 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
• Canada outshot Finland 27-24.

Other Scores

• 7th Place - Switzerland 4, Germany 1 (Game Stats)
• 5th Place – United States 4, Slovakia 2 (Game Stats)
• Semifinal #2 - Sweden 6, Czechia 2 (Game Stats)

Next Games – Saturday, August 6

• Bronze Medal – Finland vs. Czechia (12 p.m. MT)
• Gold Medal - Canada vs. Sweden (4 p.m. MT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast both the bronze and gold medal games from the Peavey Mart Centrium; please check local listings for details.

Full tournament information, including scores, stats, stories and more, is available at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca .

Quotes

“We came out a bit nervous tonight, but as the game went on, we got our legs under us and got going. I thought we got a lot cleaner in the second period and then in the third period we we’re back to our game. We got stronger as the game went on, but we have to clean up a few things for tomorrow.”
- Assistant coach Al Letang (Renfrew, Ont./Sarnia, OHL) on the win

“We showed tonight that we can battle through any adversity. It wasn’t easy, Finland gave us a real challenge and I thought we got better as the game went on. We need a better start tomorrow, but I know these guys will be ready to go.”
- Wood on the effort

“I felt really comfortable tonight. The team played extremely hard in front of me. Our guys keep everything to the outside and it makes my life easy. We knew this was going to be a tough game, but our guys competed, and I think we raised the bar and know what we need to do tomorrow.”
- Ratzlaff on the defensive effort

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME STATS

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Off an undefeated preliminary performance, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team is just one win away from another summer under-18 appearance in a gold medal game, facing Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Friday night.

LAST GAME

Canada faced its toughest competition in Group A on Wednesday night, coming away with a 3-0 win over Sweden to cap off a perfect preliminary round. Scott Ratzlaff secured his second shutout of the tournament, turning away all 18 shots he faced. Brayden Yager and Calum Ritchie had a goal and assist each, giving them a tournament-leading eight points apiece through three games.

Finland took the ice last on Tuesday, earning a 4-1 win over Germany after downing the Americans by the same margin the day before. Aron Kiviharju assisted three of the four Finnish goals, giving the standout defenceman five helpers in the tournament. The Finns outshot Germany 35-15 as it finished the prelims with two wins and a shootout loss.

LAST MEETING

Canada’s lone pre-tournament matchup was a fruitful one, shutting out Finland 6-0 on Friday night. The Canadians got goals from six different players, with Mathieu Cataford and Tanner Howe finishing with a goal and an assist each. Carson Bjarnason and Scott Ratzlaff split goaltending duties and turned away 15 and 10 shots, respectively, to blank the Finns.

WHAT TO WATCH

With only one goal against in three games, the question will be which goaltender will get the start against Finland. Ratzlaff has two shutouts, going perfect on 35 shots, Bjarnason allowed only one goal on 20 tries in his lone start. Both netminders had solid seasons in the WHL – Ratzlaff had a .904 save percentage in 22 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Bjarnason finished with .882 mark in 23 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Despite not finding the back of the net, Kiviharju leads the Finns in scoring with five assists. The 16-year-old is one of three 2006-born defencemen on the Finnish roster and has caught the eye of the hockey world already as an early favourite to go No. 1 in the 2024 NHL Draft. Kiviharju could be the spark that lights the Finnish fire.

A LOOK BACK

Canada holds an historic advantage over Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning eight of nine games played since 1996 (with the other finishing in a tie).

Only one of those meetings has been for gold – Nathan MacKinnon scored a hat trick and Zach Fucale made 23 saves for the shutout as Canada posted a 4-0 victory in 2012, winning its fifth of what would be eight consecutive gold medals.

All-time record: Canada leads 8-0-1
Canada goals: 42
Finland goals: 11

With a history spanning more than three decades, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual summer hockey tradition, being played in five countries since Yokohama and Sapporo, Japan hosted the 1991 Phoenix Cup.

So it’s fitting, as the tournament returns to Canadian ice for the third time, that Red Deer plays host.

The city’s ties to the tournament run deep – the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) have sent more players to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team than any other Canadian junior club; Team Canada forward Kalan Lind is the 18th Rebel to wear the Maple Leaf.

There’s a pride that comes with representing the team … and the city.

“I was drafted by Red Deer when I was 14, and being from B.C. I didn't know exactly where it was; now, 23 years later, I still live here today,” says former Rebels captain Colin Fraser. “Red Deer is a smaller city that just loves hockey and always has.”

Fraser was part of Team Canada at the 2002 Eight Nations Cup in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, scoring twice and adding an assist in five games to help Canada to gold. The roster that year included names like Phaneuf, Seabrook, Richards and Perry.

He captained the Rebels in the last of his four seasons in Central Alberta in 2004-05, the same year he won gold with Canada at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, arguably the best Canadian team ever at the World Juniors.

“In the moment, you almost take it for granted; you look back now and you realize as an old guy how lucky you were to get the chance to play with and against all these superstars, all-stars, Stanley Cup champions and Olympic Gold medallists,” says Fraser, who himself won Stanley Cups with Chicago (2010) and Los Angeles (2012).

Working today as a Western Canada scout for the Blackhawks based out of Red Deer, Fraser sees the tournament as the official start to the scouting season and the lead-up to the 2023 NHL Draft.

“On that side of things, the importance of seeing the top draft picks for next season here, all under one roof and playing against each other it really gets things off on a good foot,” he says. “It lets you see where they are at the beginning of the season.”

Another former Rebels captain has a unique perspective on the connection between hockey, Red Deer and Team Canada.

Brandon Sutter is a Red Deer native who played 205 games across parts of four seasons with the Rebels, a team owned by his father, Brent (who also serves as Rebels president and general manager). Sutter was part of Team Canada at the 2006 U18 Junior World Cup, posting two assists in four games as Canada won gold.

“It’s a community that just loves hockey,” says the Vancouver Canucks forward, who also played in a pair of IIHF U18 World Championships and the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship. “On weekends, people love spending time at the Centrium – it’s just kind of what you do. You grow up playing minor hockey here and when you get older you realize what a draw junior hockey is, it really brings a lot of people together.”

Sutter recalls the 2006 summer U18 tournament as one of his first great international experiences. He points to the new experiences and the timing of the event in the late summer as to what made it a truly unique event.

“When I played it was in Piestany, and that was like a different world – it was a really cool experience,” he says. “I remember going to the [selection] camp in the summer; it was kind of the first time I got to go to a camp with all these guys from all over Canada, a lot of the guys from out east you maybe only knew by name.

“All those [U18 world championship] experiences were great, but that [summer U18] tournament was the one where every kid was available. It was always the cream of the crop of your age across Canada, so it was pretty cool to be on that team where you really earn your spot.”

Sutter is proud of the work his father and brother (Merrick, the Rebels’ senior vice-president) have done. They have been integral to the city and franchise hosting some of the largest events in Canadian junior hockey.

“Just the way Dad and Merrick have really taken care of the organization and have promoted different Hockey Canada and CHL events, it’s pretty unique,” Sutter says. “Not many communities of 100,000 people get those kinds of experiences.”

“Brent and Merrick do such a professional job of bringing in events like the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the World Juniors [and] the Memorial Cup to this area; they really put Red Deer on the map for hockey,” Fraser adds. “I consider myself really lucky to have played for Brent – I learned a lot of the values, work ethic and just the intangibles of how to be a professional. He does that as a coach and the organization does all these things to try and make you a better pro.

“If the Rebels are doing something, it's always top notch – no short cuts.”

REBELS TO PLAY WITH CANADA’S NATIONAL MEN’S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM

2022 – Kalan Lind
2015 – Josh Mahura
2014 – Adam Musil
2013 – Haydn Fleury
2012 – Kayle Doetzel
2011 – Matt Dumba
2010 – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2009 – Alex Petrovic
2006 – Brandon Sutter
2002 – Colin Fraser, Dion Phaneuf
2001 – Derek Meech
2000 – Jeff Woywitka
1998 – Ross Lupaschuk, Kyle Wanvig
1997 – Stephen Peat
1995 – Arron Asham
1994 – Mike McBain

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team remained perfect at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 3-0 win over Sweden on Wednesday, solidifying a spot in Friday’s semi-final vs Finland.

• Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./ Oshawa, OHL) opened the scoring for Canada and added an assist for a two-point night.
• Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./ Moose Jaw, WHL) scored and added an assist to move into the tournament lead in scoring with nine points.
• Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./ Winnipeg, WHL) scored his second of the tournament.
• Mathieu Cataford (Saint-Constant, Que./ Halifax, QMJHL), Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./ Kelowna, WHL) Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que. / Sherbrooke, QMJHL) and Dylan MacKinnon (Riverview, N.B./ Halifax, QMJHL) contributed with assists.
• Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta./ Seattle, WHL) made 18 saves for the shutout.
• Canada outshot Sweden 43-18.

Other Scores

• Czechia 3, United States 1 (Game Stats)
• Slovakia 3, Switzerland 2 (OT) (Game Stats)

Next Games – Friday, August 5

• 7th Place - Switzerland vs. Germany (10:30 a.m. MT)
• 5th Place - United States vs. Slovakia (1:30 p.m. MT)
• Semifinal - Canada vs. Finland (5 p.m. MT)
• Semifinal - Czechia vs. Sweden (8:30 p.m. MT)

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all Team Canada games from the Peavey Mart Centrium; please check local listings for details.

Full tournament information, including scores, stats, stories and more, is available at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

Quotes

“Tonight, was a big challenge for us. This was a physical game, and we had to earn it. We blocked some shots and I felt that as the game went on, we got more pucks to the net and a bigger net front presence. I’m very happy for this group and I’m proud of the work ethic we showed.”
- Head coach Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./ Sherbrooke, QMJHL) on the win

“We battled hard tonight. Sweden gave us the toughest test of the tournament so far and I think we responded well. We played hard, blocked some shots, (Scott) Ratzlaff was excellent and we’re looking forward to the semifinals.”
- Ritchie on the win

“We did a great job tonight. Sweden is a good team and we had to earn this one. We played a full sixty minutes; our goalie played a heck of a game, and our penalty killers didn’t give up anything. When your kill is as good as ours was tonight, you’re going to win a lot of games.”
- Yager on the defensive effort

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME STATS

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team looks to close out a perfect preliminary round on Wednesday night in Red Deer, taking on Sweden in a rematch of the 2018 gold medal game on Canadian ice.

LAST GAME

Canada booked a spot in the semifinals with a 9-1 win over Slovakia on Tuesday night in Red Deer. Brayden Yager earned Player of the Game off a four-point effort (2G, 2A) for six total in the tournament so far. Canada outshot the Slovaks 65-20, with 29 of those coming in the first period. Riley Heidt added two of his own and both Tanner Molendyk and Zach Benson scored a goal and two assists in Canada’s second preliminary win of the tournament.

Sweden cruised to a 9-3 win over Switzerland off the back of a five-point performance from defenseman Theo Lindstein who had a goal and four assists. Sweden went 4-for-4 on the power play and outshot the Swiss 40-19 to earn its second preliminary win of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

LAST MEETING

The last time Canada saw Sweden was at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup semifinals, where Canada came away with a 3-2 shootout win. Cole Perfetti did his best Jonathan Toews impression, scoring three times in the shootout – in addition to his two goals in regulation time – to send Canada to the final. Tristan Lennox stopped 19 of 21 shots through regulation and overtime and turned away six of eight attempts during the shootout.

WHAT TO WATCH

As the Canadian offence continues to roll, Ethan Gauthier has been at the front of the charge. With four points in two games, Gauthier’s quick release and ability to find space has proven lethal. The Drummondville, Que., native – the first overall pick in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft and son of Team Canada alumnus Denis Gauthier – produced 39 points (18-21—39) in 65 games during his rookie season with Sherbrooke.

Otto Stenberg has put up numbers for the Swedes, leading it past Slovakia with two goals and an assist and finishing with seven points in two games so far in the tournament. The 5’11” forward took home gold with Team Sweden at the 2022 U18 World Championship, scoring twice in six games.

A LOOK BACK

Canada and Sweden have met 20 times in summer U18 play since 2001, including three gold medal games—all of them wins for the Canadians. Brendan Gaunce had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory in 2011, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice in a four-goal first period in a 7-3 win in 2015, and Alexis Lafrenière and Sasha Mutala scored two goals apiece in a 6-2 home-ice triumph in Edmonton in 2018.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-3-0 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 86
Sweden goals: 43

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG 

RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team remained perfect at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Tuesday night with a 9-1 win over Slovakia.

• Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./Moose Jaw, WHL) led the way with two goals and two assists.
• Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask./Prince George, WHL), scored twice.
• Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL), Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./Kelowna, WHL), Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) and Carson Rehkopf (Utopia, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) recorded two assists each.
• Tanner Molendyk (McBride, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL) finished the night with a goal and an assist.
• Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./Winnipeg, WHL) and Cameron Allen (Toronto, Ont./Guelph, OHL) scored their first goals of the tournament.
• Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL), scored his team leading fourth goal of the tournament.
• Tanner Howe (Prince Albert, Sask./Regina, WHL) scored his second goal of the tournament.
• Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./London, OHL), Denver Barkey (Newmarket, Ont./London, OHL) and Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./Victoria, BCHL), and Benson all contributed with assists.
• Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man./Brandon, WHL) made 19 saves.
• Canada outshot Slovakia 65-20.

Other Scores

• Sweden 9, Switzerland 3 (Game Stats)
• Finland 4, Germany 1 (Game Stats)

Next Games – Wednesday, August 3

• United States vs. Czechia (11 a.m. MT)
• Slovakia vs. Switzerland (3 p.m. MT)
• Canada vs. Sweden (7 p.m. MT)                                                                  

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all Team Canada games from the Peavey Mart Centrium; please check local listings for details.

Full tournament information, including scores, stats, stories and more, is available at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

Quotes:

“Coming off the game vs the Swiss, it’s a bit scary for a coach as you aren’t sure what to expect from, your guys, but we came out tonight with the right mindset. Our puck pressure was non-stop. We were stopping and starting, forcing turnovers and we really used all our guys. Everyone was working hard and deserved the win.”
- Head coach Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL) on the win.

“I thought Slovakia had some push back early and that was good for us. I’m proud of the guys, we stood our ground and we had to work. This was a good test; we need to make sure we are sharp heading into the game vs Sweden.”
- Bjarnason on the effort in front of him

“I thought as a group, we played well. Credit to my linemates, they were putting pucks in good places and if I get the chance I’m going to shoot. Luckily tonight, they dropped for me.”
- Yager on his two-goal, four-point performance

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Cameron Allen has always put one foot ahead of the other, taking hockey one stride at a time and never looking too far ahead.

But the next stride for the defenceman is a pretty big one – Allen will captain Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, marking his first major appearance on the international stage with Team Canada.

“I was always really competitive as a kid, even to the present day, but I just took it a game at a time,” says Allen of his journey. “I never really looked too far ahead, and it was just my passion for the game that has got me here and I think it will continue to help me grow in the future.”

A standout in minor hockey with the Toronto Young Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Allen has always dreamed of playing in the NHL. From his start in U7 with the North Toronto Hockey Association to joining the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League and now to Team Canada, Allen credits his coaches for helping him reach the highest levels in the game.

“I had a lot of support from people in minor hockey. Brett Punchard, Joe Latham, they were great coaches that I had helping me make that transition,” he says. “When I got to Guelph, George Burnette and Scott Walker were great at assembling a team that was really tight knit; that really helped and I’m super thankful to them.”

The third overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection (despite not playing a single U16 AAA game in his draft year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic). Allen made an immediate impact with the Storm – he posted 37 points (13-24—37) in 65 games, fourth-best among all rookie OHL defenders, although his numbers were tops among 2005-born blue-liners.

His performance earned him the Emms Family Award as OHL rookie of the year – the first defenceman to take the honour since Ryan Merkley, another Storm d-man and fellow Team Canada alumnus, in 2016-17 – as well as a place on the OHL First All-Star Team.

2022 #OHL Awards 🏆:@Storm_City blueliner Cam Allen is the 2021-22 recipient of the Emms Family Award presented annually to the #OHL Rookie of the Year. https://t.co/yLwaspjK9a pic.twitter.com/OVPqQM3bQf

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) May 24, 2022

“He was a pleasure for us and lived up to all of our expectations,” says Storm head coach Scott Walker of Allen’s rookie year. “He’s a mature, fit kid who is built like a hockey player [and] who is a few years ahead of others. Working well with the rest of his teammates, he’s also a leader, even as a 16-year-old kid coming into the OHL.”

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup won’t be the first time Allen dons the Maple Leaf, having won gold with Team Canada Black at last year’s Capital City Challenge. That tournament was held in place of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was cancelled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament featured three national under-17 teams and Canada’s National Women’s Team, providing an opportunity for 2005-born players to experience the Program of Excellence for the first time and for the National Women’s Team to compete as part of its Olympic centralization schedule.

His leadership skills and maturity will be on full display in Red Deer with the ‘C’ on his chest. His alternate captains are Zach Benson, Jordan Tourigny and Brayden Yager – familiar faces from the Capital City Challenge (Benson and Tourigny were Canada Black teammates, while Yager was part of the silver medal-winning Canada Red).

As captain, Allen is bringing his ‘one step at a time’ approach to Red Deer. Understanding the importance of building from the tournament, he wants to make the most of his time with the U18 team and take what he learns into his NHL draft season.

“It’s the first time [for this age group] where it’s really the best players; it’s great personalities in the room and it would be incredible to share a gold medal with these guys,” Allen says. “We all have that in our minds.

”Next year's a huge year for me, just going into that NHL draft year and then hopefully I get drafted. That's where the work begins.”

With a successful rookie OHL season behind him and his draft campaign just around the corner – he has been projected as a potential top-10 pick in a few very early mock drafts – Allen is ready to showcase his talents on the international stage, with dozens of NHL scouts in attendance.

“[It’s my] first time seeing these European teams,” he says. “I haven't really had a taste of the Swedish players or Finland [or any of those countries, but] I think it's going to be a great experience.”

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team used five special-teams markers to earn a 14-0 win over Switzerland on Sunday night in the preliminary-round opener at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

• Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL), led the way scoring the first hat-trick of the tournament.
• Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) scored once and added three assists.
• Cameron Allen (Toronto, Ont./Guelph, OHL) recorded four assists.
• Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) scored two shorthanded goals, while Carson Rehkopf (Utopia, Ont./Kitchener, OHL) netted an even-strength marker.
• Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./Victoria, BCHL), Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./Kelowna, WHL) and Gauthier scored power-play goals.
• Wood, Gauthier and Barlow all recorded three-point nights.
• Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./Moose Jaw, WHL), Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./Winnipeg, WHL), Jordan Tourigny (Victoriaville, Que./Shawinigan, QMJHL), Denver Barkey (Newmarket, Ont./London, OHL), Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask/Prince George, WHL), Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL) and Cristall finished with two points each.
• 17 of 20 Canadian skaters recorded at least one point.
• Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta./Seattle, WHL) made 17 saves for the shutout.
• Canada outshot Switzerland 52-17.

Other Scores
• Czechia 4, Finland 3 (SO) (Game Stats)
• United States 8, Germany 1 (Game Stats)

Next Games – Monday, August 1
• Sweden vs. Slovakia (11 a.m. MT)
• United States vs. Finland (3 p.m. MT)
• Germany vs. Czechia (7 p.m. MT)                                                                                        

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all Team Canada games from the Peavey Mart Centrium; please check local listings for details.

Full tournament information, including scores, stats, stories and more, is available at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

Quotes
“Credit to our players tonight. The first penalty kill we got a big save from Scott (Ratzlaff) and we turned around and scored. That was a big moment in the game for us and then we capitalized every time we had some time in the offensive zone. It’s a short-term tournament, and you don’t want to create bad habits. That was the challenge from our staff and overall, we can’t be disappointed about much tonight.”
- Head coach Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL) on the win

“It’s a privilege to play on the penalty kill. You have to be thinking defence first, but tonight we got a couple of bounces and I was fortunate to capitalize on my chances.”
- Barlow on his two shorthanded goals

“I’m proud of our guys tonight. Up and down the lineup we had guys chipping in. It’s tough to keep your head in it when the game gets away like that, but credit the Swiss, they played hard right to the end and kept us honest.”
- Allen on staying focused

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.